


Snow Fall

by Parrillamillsqueen



Category: Onceuponatime - Fandom, outlawqueen - Fandom
Genre: EnchantedForest, Gen, Outlawqueen - Freeform, onceuponatime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28201545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parrillamillsqueen/pseuds/Parrillamillsqueen
Summary: Robin the Brave, is on a mission to break a curse and save his son who is dying of illness. With his journey, he is set on saving the people of the Enchanted Forest and the young princess, Regina. The young princess was cursed by her mother as a young girl and is now forced to live as the Evil Queen. Robin must break the curse to save them all before his son falls.
Relationships: Robin and Regina - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

The sun's rays streamed through the canopy of the trees making their journey nearly unbearable. Sweat beaded on their brows, dripped down their backs, as aching muscles trudged forward. For days, weeks, months, they traveled through the wood to find the legend of the young witch. Stories of the witch brought outrage, hostility, and the need to put the truth to fruition.

Robin Hood, a man who reinvented himself several times, was the leader of this mission. His band of merry men scattered through the forest mixed with townsfolks hellbent on breaking the curse and restoring the Enchanted Forest.

Robin held up his hand to stop the band. Turning, he announced, "We'll rest here for the night. Boris, take a team to the river for water. John?" He glanced around to find his lead hunter. "Take a team and find food."

"Yes, sire." John and a few men wandered off with bows and arrows at the ready.

Robin assigned his friend, Will to make camp and secure the women and children. "Start the fires and keep a lookout."

Scanning the trees, he knew one thing was for sure, they weren't alone. There were spies always watching. Birds were not to be trusted, deer under the spell wandered closely, and dark fairies were the most dangerous.

"Papa?" Robin looked down and into the face of the person who meant most to him.

Crouching down, he took the boy into his arms. "Roland. Are you alright?" The boy was shaking, his face pale. The illness was taking its hold on the boy fast.

"I'm tired, papa." With weak arms, he held his father and rested his head against Robin's steady heartbeat. "Will you tell me a story?"

"Soon, rest boy." Resting his son in his tent, he covered him and went to set right the camp. Provisions had to be gathered, fires lit, and he and his men had to walk around the perimeter to ensure the safety of his people.

An old man looking older than any man should, sat on a log carving his wood, as he did. This time, as Robin watched, the man carved a bird. Feathers of mass volume, bulging eyes, and steady feet. "This bird," he began in his shaky voice, "The Blood Runner." Robin sat to listen. "It is said, the young witch's mother hired a wizard to curse the girl and the bird."

"I thought the girl was imprisoned," Robin argued.

"Ah," the man held up a finger. "But where? By what means?" That was an untold detail in the legend. The man began to carve his feet, its claws, and a single tear falling down the bird's beak. "Tears of the Blood Runner were said to paralyze. Red as blood, to its name, the tear caused death or curse."

"The witches curse," Robin nodded. "I've told my son the story many times."

"Tell me," the old man demanded. "Tell me as you've told him."

Robin agreed after scanning the trees after hearing leaves rustle from the wind. A mysterious sound to his ears. "It's an old tale," he states.

The old man's sky-blue eyes lock on his. "Tell it, sire."

Robin begins to speak in a low baritone voice, long and low.

…

In the land of old, upon the snowy mountain

A girl was born in a magic fountain

A light began to glow in the land

The gold and shine would join abound

The jealous mother could not quite cope

With her beauty and powers growing

The woman cursed her and sent her uphill

The furthest mountain no man could reach

Encased in magic, the young witch yearns

To be free and use the magic bestowed on her

For until she's unleased, the weather remains hot

Hotter than the fires of death below

To break the curse, you must have pure hearts

A heart to show the unmistakable bond of love

For if you free her, the best gift of all

For the first time in a century, you'll see falling snow

…

The man nodded, "'Tis a fine tale, but lacking the details and most important information of all."

"What's that?" Robin asks.

"How the witch is imprisoned. What form she takes, what actions she makes. Tell me, boy, have you heard of the Evil Queen?"

The skin on Robin's arms and on the back of his neck raise in gooseflesh knowing the evil and terror the queen has bestowed on the land. "Yes," he says through gritted teeth. "For she killed my wife some years back leaving my son without a mother." The hurt still radiated deep within him to think of Marian.

The old man frowns, but his eyes light up. "That gives you more reason than most to find the young witch."

"My boy is ill," Robin says looking at the fire crackling outside of the tent where Roland sleeps. "The witch, if the curse is broken, can restore life and save my boy."

The old man shakes his head and places the carved bird in Robin's hand. "The mission you seek will not end how you wish. Life," the old man nods toward the tent, "cannot be saved by magic." Taking Robin's hand in a firm grip, he says, "The Evil Queen is the witch, boy."

"What?" Taken aback, Robin stares into the mesmerizing eyes of the old man. Magic begins to swirl around them in a soft golden glow. "That can't be."

The old man's eyes cloud looking like storms brewing, like that of a blind man. A flash like lightning streaks across his pupils and Robin stares deeply seeing the truth of the man's words. Inside the man's eyes, deep in the forest, he's taken to the land of old and to a story, not of his own.

Transported like a cloud overseeing the land, he sees the old Queen surrounded by midwives in an old stone well. Her screams and effort of childbirth echo. She's near exhaustion, sweat pooling down her neck and wetting her hair. "I can't…I'm too tired," she pants.

A midwife younger than she comforts her. "Yes, you can your majesty. Take deep soothing breaths. Think of your child, it comes very soon." When the queen begins to breathe the girl urges her on. "That's the way, miss. That's the way, breathe deeply."

Snow begins to fall in soft flakes around them, the brick walls of the fountain encase them from the cold. The blankets around the queen keep in the warmth and provide a safe place. As the baby begins to crown, the queen's cries get louder.

"Push and breathe," are chanted by the midwives until the baby is free of the mother's womb and revealed to be a fine healthy daughter. Swaddled in cloth, the baby is cleaned and placed in the queen's arms. The queen looks into the eyes of the babe. Her eyes are mahogany, big, and bright. Snow falls heavily around them until they are encased in a wall of ice. Inside the ice, the queen and princess are closed together in a bright glow.

The queen hugs the babe to her chest to feed. Unlike the cold of the air, inside the bubble, the heat of magic warms them.

Before Robin can see what happens to the babe, the sky changes, and he's transported once more to another time. This time, the queen stands outside of the palace as the young princess of nine wanders in the wood. Her dark hair braided in a crown and tucked under her collar shines. The girl is tall and regal, more beautiful than the queen herself.

In the woman's eyes, you can see the hatred brewing for her child. A kind of envy one should never feel for a girl. The queen has aged, and the beauty disappeared behind the bitterness. A scowl replacing the smile she once displayed. Her eyes once showing promise and hope, now show despair.

The girl stops at a tree to watch the birds making a nest. Each bringing sticks, feathers, and material to add to their new homes. The color of the birds drew the girl closer. Greens, blues, golds, and silver. The feathers blended to reveal beauty and mystery. When a bird turns and sets sights on the girl, she takes a step back.

A single tear falls down the beak and stains the nest black. A hissing sound followed by smoke eviscerate the nest. The girl gasps and turns to run. The Queen smiles wickedly as a bird hovers over her head. Just as the tear falls to strike the girl, the bird catches flame and the tear with it. Young Regina turns to see her father standing near her mother.

"Does your hatred run so deeply?" He glares at the woman who used to be his wife. "Come, Regina." The father takes her hand and leads her inside. The queen left to her anger throws a snowball at the tree and it turns to ice encasing the birds and preserving the tears she'll use in the future.

Robin once again is transported to another time, the sky turning a slate grey, snow falling in thick waves. The ground is white, the air freezing, and the greying magical glow making the land whither. The trees are beginning to retreat into the ground, leaves hiding in their sheaths, and animals scurrying away.

The young princess, Regina's hands and feet are encased in ice tying her to a mountainside. The young girl is at the eve of womanhood, the roundness of her face beginning to fade, her body becoming womanlier. The queen stands with purple magical balls in her hands.

"Mother, please don't do this," young Regina begs.

"It's for your own good," queen Cora says. "Your beauty is a curse and curses are dangerous, Regina. You need to protect yourself."

"Daddy will protect me," she says.

"Your father is no match for what this world can do to you. By giving you power, I'll be giving you the ability to protect yourself." Regina tries to struggle, but the queen moves in front of her. "I do this for you, my daughter."

"You do this for yourself," Regina spits. "I don't want power; I just want to be myself!"

"Oh, but you can be so much more," queen Cora coos. "With power comes great responsibility." Pressing her hand to Regina's chest, Cora exerts power into her body. The young princess screams. "This magic is made from the tears of the Blood Runners." The queen begins to chant a spell of old black magic.

"With tears and heat, I cast this spell." The snow begins to stop falling. "To bring this magic to this girl." The skies begin to clear from grey to blue. "Take hold the beauty and replace with guard." The cool air begins to heat causing them to sweat. "Until a pure heart is coming to you," she places her other hand on Regina's chest, "hearts close off to the unwoven."

Regina's dark eyes close and the snowy air of her becomes black. The halo of white normally seen around her darkens. Heat begins to spread across the land. The queen raises her hands and a cloud of black surrounds Regina. The young princess enters. After more chanting and more heat arises, a young witch emerges from the black.

Her hair is dark in waves of curls. Dark black makeup line her eyes, ruby red paints her lips, and a dress of dark black and jewels display across her torso and down to flare out to her feet. "I made you a queen," queen Cora says. "Try your new power."

Regina lifts her hand and a fireball floats before she flings it forward to send a tree to flames. A nasty smile takes hold of her face and the young witch remains. Robin's last vision of the evil queen is her entering her castle. A dark and grey castle that keeps in anger and only brings gloom. Just before he's brought back to sitting in front of the old man, he sees misery in her eyes.

Robin blinks and the man smiles. "Now you know what you face. Tell me, are you up for the challenge?"

"I'll do what I can to save my child and the people of the Enchanted Forest." He pauses. "And the life of an innocent princess trapped in the evil of magic."

The man takes Robin's hand and holds tight making it impossible for him to move. "I give to you what you need," he chants. "A magic born of good and sweet. The girl you seek is mine to give. I give you her and wish for strength. My daughter is trapped inside this home, bring her back to me I demand."

A golden glow surrounds Robin and his body becomes weak for a moment. When the man releases his hand, Robin stands trapped in a trance. When the trance wears off, the carving of the bird is left on the stump. The old man nowhere to be seen. Under the bird carving, a name was etched in the wood. _Henry the Bold._

Robin lifts his hands and the heat of magic surrounds his palms. The feeling of fire and ice surrounds him. Lifting his head, he now has what he needs to break the curse. He only needs to find the evil queen and begin the work.

Robin Hood is dead, he thought. _Robin the Brave_ is he and he will save his son and the people of the Enchanted Forest if it's the last thing he does.


	2. 2

The townsmen and merry men trudged through the forest as the heat sweltered. It seemed the closest to the queen's castle, the hotter it became. Three nights before, a vision of the castle came into view. Long sharp points that looked like a talon reaching up from the fiery depths of death. It looked a lot like the Blood Runner's claws when on attack.

Encased in the talon, a tower stood with windows facing them. No doubt, the queen was watching them approach each hour, each day of their journey. Her spies would know soon enough.

They came upon a creek and Robin announced it was time to rest. "John, see if you can find food. Ask the women to forage the bushes. I've seen berries."

"Yes, sire." John took a group of men into the forest and recruited three women.

As the party drank from the creek, Robin checked on Roland. Will and Cameron created a cot out of branches, wrapped him up, and had been carrying him for the last day and a half. Crouching, Robin touched the boy's head. It was hot with fever, his face starting to look ashen. His lips dry. Taking a palm-full, he dropped water into his mouth.

Roland sputtered and coughed until thirst consumed him and he accepted the water his father offered. He drank deep and just that simple task exhausted him. "Papa, I'm so tired." He lay his head back and closed his eyes.

Robin pressed a kiss to his head. "Rest, boy. We'll soon be there."

"Where?" Roland mumbled in a drowsy haze.

Robin looked up at the castle and kept hold of his mission. "To break the curse. Sleep, now. You'll need your strength."

As Roland lay sleeping, men hunted for food, and the camp was set to rights, Robin wandered away from the party. Stepping carefully and quietly, he crossed the creek. Following a row of trees, he stepped over fallen logs, through dense vegetation, and into a clearing.

The grass was unusually green, flowers in purples, pinks, and blues littered the ground in patches. The beauty was otherworldly to him. A soft golden glow seemed to hover just over the ground. The smell of the flowers brought him forward.

But when he took a step, the ground wasn't steady. A cracking sound alerted him, and he stepped back. Blinking, he was disoriented. The beautiful flower-filled clearing transformed to the edge of a cliff. A hollowed-out log, where he'd nearly stepped, was ready to fall at any moment. Looking down, he shuddered.

The angry sea crashed in waves around sharp rocks jutting out of the ocean floor. Any man who fell would fall to death. The rocks seemed to be magically sharpened and more dangerous than would be the norm. Stepping back, Robin turned to see a black crow perched on a branch. A branch of a tree long since dead.

The crow's eye looked oddly human gazing at him. The bird let out a squawk causing his body to jerk. As he looked into the crow's eye, he realized, it was not of a bird. The queen was gazing at him now. "I wish you no harm," he says. "Only an audience."

The bird's head tilted, it let out another squawk and took flight. Robin watched it fly slowly over the camp, swooping down only to circle. It circled the entire camp, the hunting party, and finally around his boy. Feeling protective, he rushed to Roland's side covering his body from the bird. "Leave him be," he said through his teeth.

The bird landed on a rock next to him. After a few agonizing moments, the bird disappeared leaving black smoke. The smoke seemed to linger and finally dissipate into the air. Robin watched the trail of smoke travel slowly back toward the castle.

"Sire, the queen knows we're here," Widow Lucas announced full of fright. She was an old woman with a gentle face and known as Granny. The woman was braver than some of the men and had a mean streak sure to protect the ones she loves.

"She's known," Robin says sitting down and stretching his back. "I've seen her spies in the wood. "She decided to pay us a visit."

Granny sat on a stump holding a bow, an arrow at the ready. "What would she want with us?"

Plucking a piece of dried meat into his mouth, he said, "To see if we are a threat. I expect, she's seen our numbers, knows who hunts, who gathers." He glances at Roland. "Which of us are weak."

"We must stay on guard, sire. Her magic is dark and powerful." Granny's eyes scan the wood.

"I know all too well," he said. "I feel the magic in the air. Dark and nasty." Chewing he considered. "Yet, under the nastiness, I sense something else."

"What would that be, sire?"

"Fear." It was true. Robin could feel the pull of the magic, the dark parts that whispered promises of fortune. The temptation of giving in was strong. The whip of nastiness came at moments when the heat surged. The closer they came to the castle, the more prominent the fear became. "She's been alone in the castle for many years. She fears us."

"Why would she fear us? We're no match for her." Granny rolled her eyes and thought the notion ridiculous.

"Henrietta," he said using the woman's name. It meant what he had to say was serious. "There's a young girl trapped in that body, in that magic. A girl who spent her childhood alone. A young girl who never experienced life outside the confines of her mother's shadow."

Granny's face softens. "That may be, sire. But the queen you see is not the girl. She'll not hesitate to rip your heart out or put you to flame. I've heard stories of her doing much worse."

"Who told you these stories, Granny?" His smirk made her cheeks warm with shame. For they both knew the Kindle brothers made up lavish stories to scare the young ones. "I think we've come closest and that scares her," he said. "I feel the old man's magic inside of me. Henry the Bold, they called him."

"I'm not aware of him."

Robin gazed into the flames flickering. "Henry was born from King Xavier. The man ruled with hatred and treated his subjects poorly. Henry was given to his wife, queen Cora, upon a bet. A bet the woman won and therefore won his hand. The king demanded Henry to marry and was told that he would be rewarded.

"At first, Henry and Cora seemed to make a great partnership. He in his duties and her in her relationship with the ladies of the castle. Not long after they married, Cora conceived. While she was with the child, she became distant and quiet. The midwives speculated she hated the babe growing in her belly.

"Her body was changing and taking the beauty she coveted." The flames began to flick louder as a rock fell and scattered ashes. "While her belly grew, so did the distance between her and her husband. Henry, a man of gentle disposition, supported his wife dutifully ignoring the signs of change."

"What change?" Granny was engrossed in the story.

"Cora, the woman full of ambition and hope, full of visions on where she wanted to go in life, became angry and hostile. It is said, she tried many ways to rid herself of the child. She drank forbidden herbs, consumed drink, and even went to a dark fairy for help."

"That wicked witch," Granny said hotly.

"Nothing and no one could rid her of the child. On the eve of the babe's birth, she went to a man who was said to have magic to grant any wish. A man whose name you only say aloud if you truly seek his face."

"I know of him. His name is…"

"No!" Robin placed his hand over her mouth. "Never say that man's name. He is wicked and darker than the evil queen could ever be."

"Sorry, sire."

"On the eve of the babe's birth, the man came to queen Cora. He could not stop the birth, but he could change her fate. The wizard, as he was, promised that if the queen followed his instructions, the girl would suffer. So, the babe was born. Regina the Gentle, her father called her."

"The gentle? The evil queen is ruthless and horrid. There is no gentleness inside that witch." The hatred was palpable, and Robin understood it. The evil queen had caused so much pain, taken from them, and left darkness and unhappiness in her wake.

"I know more than most," he said holding the woodcarving hanging around his neck. A symbol his wife, Marian, had made him before her passing.

"I miss her too, sire." Her smile warmed him, the sympathy in her eyes calmed him.

"The queen may be wicked, but the girl was gentle. As a young child, she was curious and adventurous. Discovering the secrets of the woods and listening to the music in the towns were her favorite things to do. She longed for friendship and found none. But when an animal was hurt, she would mend them.

"When she grew, her beauty grew also. Queen Cora became angry and hateful the more her beauty grew, so she began to hide it. First, by tying her hair back, putting dirt on her face, and tearing her clothes. It didn't change the way the queen felt. She hated her and made it known."

"How, sire?"

"The queen put up boundaries, took away her beloved horse, and killed the birds and animals she once played with. When Regina wandered off, the queen began to keep her indoors. Then, locked her in the castle all together with a spell."

"A spell? What kind of spell?"

"Noblemen began to ask for her hand, to inquire of the princess' status. The queen had no intention of allowing her daughter to be married and taken away to become more powerful and rich than she. So, she put an invisibility spell around her. No one could see or hear her. When a man came calling, her shouts and screams fell on deaf ears."

"A hateful woman," Granny bit out.

"Yes, she is. Regina grew quiet and no longer fought the constraints her mother put on her. It was no use. Then, on the eve of her sixteenth year, the queen cast her curse. The girl was given magic by force, turned from Regina the Gentle, a white halo of hope around her. It was replaced by darkness and the halo disappeared.

"Under the darkness, a new queen emerged with hatred in her heart. The wizard had promised evil would surround her and queen Cora would get what she wanted. So, she's been hidden in this castle from the world. Now, we are on the brink of being the first people she's seen in centuries and I think she's scared."

"Of the queen," Granny wondered?

"No," Robin says poking the fire. "The queen has fled the castle and gotten more riches and more power than she knows what to do within another world. Have you heard of the Queen of Hearts?"

Granny nods. "Yes, a horrible woman, she is. Cutting people in two for disobeying orders." She shakes her head in disapproval. "Pitiful."

"Yes, the queen is that." He sends her a knowing look and Granny's mouth hangs open in shock.

"Well, I'll be. That is just perfect. Tell me, sire. How do we break this curse?"

"That's what I have to figure out," he admits. "Henry said a pure heart and the show of true love will break the spell. But she knows no one. Who could love her so much as to break the spell if not her father? A man, until this old man appeared, is dead."

"The king was a nobleman with a gentleness in him and a kind heart. Maybe giving you his magic, he gave you the ability to love her."

Robin stands and kicks dirt toward the trees in annoyance. "I had love, Granny. She's gone and I can't get her back."

"No," Granny says standing and taking his arm to stop his pacing. Looking into his eyes, she says, "But it doesn't mean you can't love again. The queen we are about to come upon is evil and dark. What of the girl?"

"What of her?"

"If this girl, Regina the Gentle, is sweet and kind, the man you are would be blessed with such a union. Blessed with more children, a happy life. You must live on, sire. Marian was a beautiful woman on the inside, and I think you deserve the same likeness in another."

"I can't love another, Granny. Can't you see? My heart will always belong to her."

"Yes, it will certainly belong to Marian for a lifetime and beyond. But she's gone, sire. In the ground to provide life for another creature, as is the circle of life. Her spirit lives on in you and your boy. You are still a young man with so much to give. Open your mind and your heart to the possibility of more."

"I'm not sure I can do that," he admits.

"Sire, you have experienced loss before." She glances at the sleeping boy. "I dare say, you could lose more soon." He struggles to step away from her, but she holds tight. "Sire, you need not be afraid to say goodbye. Roland will be with the spirits in time, as we all will."

Gazing upon his son with tears in his eyes, he shakes his head. "I won't let him go. His life has only begun."

She nods. "Yes, sire. Some of us are meant to have full lives, and some of us, are only here for a little while. Maybe the girl can help, maybe she can't. I know one thing; your heart will be lighter and the blow easier with love inside." Placing a hand on his heart, she feels the thumping wildly. "Calm yourself, sire."

"I have no need of a woman or a wife. I have a need to break the curse and save my boy," he says desperately.

"There is no guarantee that he will be saved. Magic cannot save him," she repeats the words Henry gave him.

"I can," he says. "Or I will die trying." Robin turns to walk into the darkness of the forest to calm his racing heart.


	3. 3

While Robin led a calvary into the wood, the queen worked to prepare for their arrival. With magic, she brought her hands high to encircle the castle with water forming a moat. A bridge raised with no other entrance would be a deterrent. Her guards were posted around every corner inside the walls and outside to keep watch. In the towers above, birds circled in flocks to do the same.

Anxiety took root inside of her as did fear causing her anger to be expended upon anyone who crossed her. A guard made the mistake just that morning and, not meaning to, she burnt him to ashes. Feeling the power and the guilt from such an act, she coward into her chambers.

Gold intricately woven into apples, horses, and shapes covered the walls. The panels were white and climbed up the corners like vines, spreading into a web at the point of the ceiling. A large bed of dark oak dominated the room with feather pillows and furs. A table with potions for vanity and health was tucked in a corner.

A large mirror made of gold and silver hung on the wall above the table. The mirror was not of glass but of magic. A swirl of colors so mesmerizing, you could blink and not see the same combinations. At the base, an inscription in what looked like old writing was carved. You'd have to be schooled to read such a message.

A balcony overlooking the forest led into the queen's chambers. Regina stood gripping the railing of the balcony watching the people get closer and closer. The birds she sent showed her they came in great numbers. Some were strong and steady, others weak and weary. A boy carried in a cot proved to be ill. They should put him out of his misery, she thought.

The leader, she thought watching through the wood, was a familiar sort. A face not easily forgotten. Eyes of moss and full of pain accompanied by a quick smile when he spoke. His legs were strong as an ox, his body lean and limber. Jumping over rocks, climbing up hills, and maneuvering through trees, he proved his agility.

The queen's mouth twisted into a scowl. "What kind of man trudges through the forest and dares near my castle?"

The mirror behind her swirled until a man appeared. His face was long and slender, dark caramel, and heavy-browed. His mustache curved out into points, while his beard covered his chin. Upon his head wrapped in rich red and bold blue while dotted with white was a turban. Gold hung from his ears and around his neck. Upon his hand's jewels winked in multitude.

"Robin Hood, my queen," he said with a smirk. "At least, his subjects think so. A wizard came to him and bestowed the name Robin the Brave, your majesty." He hovered in the glass-like he floats in water. "The rumor is here's here to break the spell." His eyes watched as the queen's shoulders tightened.

"Not as long as I live," she said through gritted teeth. "This castle is my domain, and no one will steal my magic. Sydney, show me the boy." Regina whirled toward the mirror as an image of the boy came into view.

Wrapped tightly, she looked at the boy. His hair was dark and unruly falling into the boy's face. A face pale and sickly, lips white and dry. The boy slept as he is carried by two men. Regina watched with her brows lifted in worry. There'd be no saving him, she guessed. He looked too far gone and devastatingly young.

Locked on the boy, she sat and studied him. His lashes were too long and looked dark against his pale skin. A wooden arrow hung around his neck in twine. The cot was made of tree branches and the boy was tied with a cloth on his head. As she concentrated on his face, a deep longing took hold.

A feeling so deep and so strong, it stole her breath. For just a moment, a vision of her former self came into view. Her youthful and bright face. Then, a resentment replaced it and the scowl returned. "Send guards to ward them off," she ordered. "Kill if necessary."

Sydney's face appears and he nods. "Your majesty, they will keep coming."

Her brow rose in that stubborn way it most often did. "So, scare them away."

"Do you not want to hear them out? The curse is not easily broken. Have you forgotten what it needs?"

"No," she mumbled turning to gaze out. "A pure heart and true love. I love no one and no one loves me," she said simply. "They will be sorely disappointed they came." But deep in her heart, the truth was painful. There was one she loved more than any. A love that was dead.

The one person who showed her what real love was, the one who could make her happy; her father. But he was long since gone. And when he died, her mother ensured she be trapped here. In this land, on these grounds. When Regina accepted her fate, the queen went to another land. Regina's lips pressed together. The queen deserted her castle and traded it for another.

Leaving Regina stuck in a place that no one visited, no one wanted, and never would. Looking out at the people coming toward her castle, she frowned. They must be ill or stupid to come. She had nothing to offer, nothing to help save the boy. The father clearly had the intention of begging her to save his young one.

Regina shook her head in exasperation. What that must feel like, to love so deeply you'd risk hell and fire to save them. A tear slid down her cheek letting the pain take hold. Anger rose with it and bitterness she clung to surrounded her. No one would ever feel like that for her.

Closing her eyes, she took long deep breaths until the emotion subsided. Then, standing up straight, her eyes turned black and her face went still. "Guards!"

Two armed guards opened her chamber door. "Yes, your majesty?"

"Send guards into the forest to disband these trespassers. I want them gone and I want them gone, now!" Spit spewed from her mouth as her rage shown on her face.

"Yes, your majesty. Right away." They closed the doors and Regina could hear footsteps down the corridors. For several minutes she heard the clanging of their weapons, footfalls, and the lowering of the bridge. Horse hooves could be heard until a group of sixteen guards on horseback rode into the wood.

"There," she said to herself. "That should take care of that." A wicked grin spread across her face as she watched the guards separate and scatter into the wood to surround the men.

….

Near the point of exhaustion, Robin called the party to keep going. They would reach the castle by sundown the following day. They just had to get close enough to make camp. With sweat spooling down his back, he pushed his muscles further. Determination was not easily crushed.

The sound of water trickling in a creek drew his attention. Mouth dry and thirsty, he stopped to drink. He poured palmfuls of water into his mouth and drank greedily. The heat was too much to bear, shockingly so. More deadly than it had been the day before. He was starting to think the magic was so strong, it may burn them where they stand.

Sitting down on an abandoned rock, he poured water over his head and down his back to relieve the itch. Cooled and rested, he stood and stretched out his aching joints. Just a few more hours, he bargained with himself. When he was going to address his band, the sound of hooves echoed in the trees.

The pounding of the ground grew closer and louder in all directions. "Armed at the ready!" A distant voice shouted.

"Men, arm yourselves," Robin shouted. "Protect the women." Panicked, he ran toward his son with the fatherly need to have him near. On the ground, men surrounded the little cot.

Four guards rode forward stopping just in front of Robin. The sudden stop causing dirt to fly and invade his lungs. He coughed and sputtered to clear them.

"Stop! In the name of the queen, you are to leave this land." A guard wore heavy armor, a helmet that covered between his eyes and barely revealed his moving lips.

Robin stood and raised his arms to show his surrender. "We mean no harm, just an audience with the queen."

The guards glance at one another seemingly confused. "What say you to a queen in isolation?"

Robin lowered his arms slowly, watching the long spears they hold with sharp points that would surely tear him in two. "I was sent to seek an audience with the queen." Robin took a deep breath and finished with, "By Henry the Bold."

He saw them all exchange glances and come to attention. "King Henry perished, my lord. Many years before."

"Yes," Robin said taking more steps forward. "He did, but a wizard revealed to me this location and sent me. Therefore, I must follow the mission. My son is ill," he said. "Very ill and a night of rest after long traveling is needed."

The guard seemed to hesitate. Then, a crow black as night landed on the bridle in front of him. The eye was yellow and aware, slowly turning from bird to human.

"Please, sire." Robin was desperate to make it into the castle. "I beg of you."

The bird tilted its head, lifted off, and squawked at the guard. To his surprise, the guard's eyes turned white. Controlled by magic, he spoke in a monetized fashion. "Leave this land and take your men with it."

"Henry the Bold sent me, your majesty."

"The king is dead," it said.

"He came to me and told me the story of a princess trapped in a castle, who loved apples and horses," Robin began. "A little girl who loved her father and saved her horse, Rocinante, from being slaughtered by her mother." He knew that detail may get him somewhere.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Henry told me, your majesty. Please, give me a chance to explain why I am here. We need rest, food, and a place to lay our heads."

The guard stared a long time. So long, Robin felt he would not answer. Then, the whiteness disappeared, and the guard returned. "Follow me," He said in his own voice. Slowly, Robin and his men were led through the wood.

They moved through the trees feeling the heat get stronger and stronger. It felt like the heat was never going to get better and he feared they were being led into a trap. Then, they stood in front of a bridge leading to the castle.

A moat was dug with magic, he could see. Down below, water of green surrounded sharp rocks and creatures with sharp teeth and angry eyes. Half the guards on horseback led them over a bridge with the rest behind them. The moment they crossed the bridge, an eerie silence surrounded them.

They were led inside two large wooden doors inside the castle. Instantly, as their feet touched the floor of the room, the heat disappeared. It was a mild temperature, unlike anything they'd faced. So fresh and lovely, it almost made them weep.

A small fat man with grey thinning hair came from a room and stood looking at them owlishly. When he turned to address them, they saw his beard was smoke and moving. Small black eyes opened and regarded the group. A squeaky voice came from him. "There is a place to wash for the women. Through here," he welcomed them.

The men stood in a circle, hands on their weapons in case of attack. A slender balding man welcomed the men and led them up a winding staircase to another wash house. Robin was alone in the circular entrance with Roland at his feet. The ceiling had paintings so beautiful, he was sure it had never been seen before.

Then, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. His eyes snapped to the incredibly beautiful woman standing at the top of the staircase. Her hair was jet black and cascaded down her back causing a halo around her shoulders. It was long below her hips and stunning.

A red dress hugged every part of her body, cinching at the waist, and pooling at her feet. Her eyes drew him in, dark and bold, and very much like the eyes of the birds, she sent to spy on him. Her lips, now pressed together, were painted a deep bold red.

His mouth hung open at the sight of her. The most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. As her lips curved, he felt light. Too light. His vision began to blur and before he could form a word, his body slunk down onto the floor everything turning black.


End file.
